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Stoltzman Concert

Author: Bradley
Date: 2004-06-18 14:26
Attachment: Orlando, Bradley and Richard Stoltzman.jpg (37k)
Attachment: Rachel, Peter John and Bradley 6-17-04.jpg (35k)

Last night I went to a Stoltzman Concert at Coral Gables Congregational Church which is across from the Biltmore Hotel (I don't know if that will ring bells for anyone, but it's a really prestigious hotel here in Miami, and a pretty big percentage of high profile weddings down here have something occuring on it's premises). It was a "father and son" performance with his son Peter John Stoltzman on piano. The first half was classical, with Debussy, Bernstein and Poulenc. After intermission they did some jazz- the "Porgy and Bess Suite" (I hope I remembered that correctly, I don't have my program with me) by Gershwin with "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So" as part of it. Then they did two original pieces by Peter John, a ballad and a piece called "Traveler" both dedicated to his father, but the latter being a 60th birthday present inspired by the hectic traveling his father does all over the world. They also did "The Duke" by Dave Brubeck for piano and "Blue Rondo" , another Brubeck piece. The last piece they did entitled "Feast" was another original piece, by a bassoonist who was at Yale the same time as Stoltzman.

Overall I enjoyed the concert. I seem to be able to appreciate Stoltzman's playing a lot more in person 'cause he really seems like a natural "performer". Yes, some of his movements seemed akward and slightly distracting- but he always is very musical with pieces, whether one likes his interpretations or not (at least I feel so). I really liked his Bernstein- even my usual preference against some of his vibrato choices was not an issue with that portion. I also appreciate his attention to everything involved with the Poulenc. Having performed it recently for a jury I REALLY appreciated, and was a bit jealous of how well he played the dynamics. Some of his trill choices throughout and some of how deliberate he was with articulating some notes in the 3rd mvt. I didn't really care for, but overall I was practically in awe at his technique in the piece. The jazz portion was better than one would expect from a crossover artist, and several pieces were enjoyable. My favourite was the "Blue Rondo" by Brubeck. Although I prefer Karl Steffens' interpretation of the piece, I felt Stoltzman was more "musically in touch" with it. In one of the selections he actually walked down the isle of the church and while playing several times transitioned into "90 degree clarinet angle mode" as he made his way back to the front of the church. In the last piece there was a vocal section for both him and his son which I guess was the "African" influenced part (since he explained that the piece was written by an Irish-Canadian who moved to America and was inspired by complex African drum rhythms and all of this should be evident in the piece). His son (a graduate of Berklee College of Music currently pursuing a Master's in Jazz Composition at NEC) is definetly carrying on the "Stoltzman musical legacy"- with just as high a level of artistry as his father in the performance.

Bradley

Post Edited (2004-06-18 14:35)

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